salad days—black bean and corn salad

this is another salad i like to throw together regularly. it's got a lot of my favorite things in it, and again, it's made with things that i usually have on hand.

ingredients:
1 can black beans (i like goya best) drained and rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn lightly zapped in the microwave (if i had real corn, like corn on the cob that i've cooked and is left over from another meal, i'd totally use that, but normally all i've got is frozen, so that's what i use)
1 plum tomato, chopped with seeds removed
1/2 cucumber, chopped with seeds removed
about 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (green is what i normally have, but sometimes i'm fancy and i buy a red one)
2-3 green onions, chopped
handful of cilantro, chopped (i would consider this optional because i don't always have it on hand, but when i do you bet it's in there)
baby spinach

for dressing (i don't really have measurements for this, i just eyeball it):
olive oil
lime juice (fresh if you have it, bottled if you're me)
cumin
garlic powder
dried oregano
green tobasco (if you're into that kind of thing. i totally am.)
salt
pepper

instructions:
1) chop your veg
2) put in bowl with beans
3) mix up your dressing, pour into bowl
4) toss with spinach
5) eat!

salad days—bulgar and lentil salad

the weather here has finally been warming up a bit, which means instead of soups i've been making loads of salads. this is one that i make a lot because it requires things i usually have in the house, it's quick to throw together, and it's tasty. it might even be healthy (though my portions probably negate the "healthiness" factor).

anywho, on with the ingredients:

1/2 cup bulgar wheat (i use bob's red mill bulgar) + 1/2 cup water for cooking
1/4 cup lentils + 3 cups water for cooking
1/2 cucumber, chopped and seeds removed (i usually get a pretty big cucumber so that there's some to snack on)
1 plum tomato, chopped and seeds removed
1 green onion, chopped (optional, i don't always remember to put this in)
garlic powder
salt
pepper
lemon juice (fresh is probably best, and if you've got lemons in the house, more power to you. i don't.)
olive oil
baby spinach

and the instructions (for people who follow instructions—i.e. not me):
1) cook your bulgar wheat (i've forgotten what it says on the package, but i just cook it about 1:1 like i would couscous—bring water to a boil, pour in wheat, cover, remove from heat—by the time i'm done with everything else, it's ready to go)
2) cook your lentils (bring water to a boil, dump in your lentils, turn heat down to a low boil and let them cook away for about 20 minutes, drain and rinse)
3) chop your veg (don't forget to test your cucumber, or have your taste-tester help with this part)
4) once everything is chopped and cooked, throw it all in a bowl (well, not THROW, but dump carefully so that you don't get your counter all messy like mine)
5) sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste
6) drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil (i don't measure, but i'm guessing about a tablespoon of each)
7) give that mess a big stir to make sure it's all mixed up and thoroughly confused
8) serve over baby spinach

i could totally go for a big bowl of this right now. i'm kind of obsessed.

project sam—update

sam and lucy playing airport

sam singing "itsy-bitsy spider" to lucy

sam's also had some new developments as of late:

• he's now started doing a little basic math with mike (mostly addition), which he seems to enjoy. he's also reading more every day and looks forward to words that mike will sometimes leave on the white board for him before leaving for work. we've also started regular letter writing practice, and before sam is allowed to play with the ipad each day he has to practice letters. he's able to write his name, so enjoys doing that more than anything else. we've started to introduce other letters, and he's doing pretty well with most of them.
• he's becoming a bit more adventurous when it comes to foods and is now asking for celery and even tried some sweet red pepper recently (though he didn't really like it). he's had kale chips (like) and cucumber (like), and requested broccoli as his vegetable last night. perhaps i'll make him into a veggie-lover afterall.
• he's been honing his drawing skills and has done some impressive drawings of "angry birds" recently. he's also been doing a lot better at coloring in the lines when he's asked to (i don't normally give him things to color in, i prefer to just give him blank paper, but we do have some coloring books around).
• this week he had two days of preschool screening to be a "peer model". yesterday they said we would find out by the end of the day monday if he was accepted, but they called earlier today to let us know that he was. we're pretty excited, though this will mean a drastic change to our daily schedule. sam was very enthusiastic when we picked him up both days, and i think it will be good for him to experience what classes are like, and it will be fun for him to meet new kids and make new friends.
• on tuesday i finally pulled out the fisher-price airport toy that i've been holding in reserve. sam has commented over and over again how much fun it is, and i'm having a blast watching him and lucy play with toys that i had so much fun with when i was younger. 

i'm sorry that i haven't had time for more posts lately, but if you want to see what we're up to daily, feel free to check out my instagram feed. there are new photos almost daily.

project lucy—month 9

9 month stats for bitty bean: 14lbs 15oz (5.4%) and 26.75in (18.02%)

lucy, despite her bitty stature is shaping up to be just as big a personality as her big brother. bullet points for the little miss at 9 months:

• eats like cah-razy. seriously. even our daycare provider has commented on her ability to pack it in. and she is still eating anything and everything. each day is a taste adventure, and she is totally in. she has had guac and beans from chipotle, and decided they were awesome (we train early). i'm amazed at what she can manage with her one, lonely, little tooth.
• and speaking of eating, she has discovered how to stuff her own face in the last week or so. her favorite finger foods are cheerios, bread, pieces of waffle, cinnamon teddy grahams, and pieces of pear.
• she has discovered that she can scoot around on her bottom on the hardwood and linoleum floors by pushing with her hands or grabbing onto things and pulling, so she's slightly more mobile these days. i am trying to curb her enthusiasm for harassing the plants. she has also tried pulling up to stand using the coffee (and ended up bonking her head, silly little bear).
• she still loves to be sung to, and will do some of the motions to itsy-bitsy spider on occassion (see above photo).
• she's a hot sleeper. she wakes from naps with a sweaty little head, my "sweaty spaghetti".
• is just getting over her first bout of croup, which has left us all a little more sleep deprived than normal (except for sam, who is as rambunctious as ever).
• does a lot of talking and makes lots of sounds. we frequently hear "dada", "mama", "buhbuh", "goodgood", and something that sounds a lot like sam's rocket noise (she likes to use this noise when flying transformers around, or just about any other toy).
• lucy also can wave hi and bye, though she rarely does it on command. she usually reserves this skill for sammy, daddy, her mirror friend, and occasionally grandparents. smiles are also a little bit reserved, but she passes out curious glances by the ton (lots of people comment on her "big eyes" as she examines the world around her).

lucy is such a wonderful, curious, cheerful little person. a little sunshine in a rosy-cheeked package!

project lucy—month 8

this is lucy at eight months old. she's quite the awesome little person (despite the fact that she's a lousy sleeper). there haven't been big, monumental changes since my last update (probably because i waited so long to do her seven month post), but she's definitely keeping us busy (at three o'clock in the morning, no less).

i'm constantly marveling at the differences between sam and lucy (well, not in the looks department, of course). at eight months sam was all over the place crawling and cruising around the furniture. for the most part, lucy is fairly content to stay where she's put. i tried getting her down on all fours the other day, but despite the fact that she rocked back and forth, she was not happy about that situation. at eight months sam had at least four teeth, but lucy has only sprouted one so far (and even that one is taking it's time poking it's way up). she's also not exactly huge in the size department and can easily fit into 3–6 month onesies (depending on how stuffed her diaper is). i think lucy is just interested in doing things in her own time. i keep telling her that it's okay to not grow up too quickly, i really don't mind.

first tooth!

lucy's first tooth is finally sprouting! after months of anticipation i can finally see (and feel) the little white ridges on her little gums. one little tooth is poking through, and if i hadn't randomly stuck my finger in her mouth to feel about, i would have been none the wiser (ie there hasn't been any extra fussing on its account). there has been, however, a new sound effect today which is somewhere between a kissing and popping noise. I tried to get video but she keeps stopping each time i try. figures, eh?

project lucy—month 7

at seven months old lucy can now sit confidently and is making attempts to try to scoot or crawl (mostly ending up with her face-first or falling over on the floor). she will happily sit and play on her own for 20 minutes at a time (or until she decides to make an unsuccessful attempt at an escape). she still has no interest in being on her tummy, so the occasional flops onto her belly leave her rather upset, and she will do her best to roll over asap.
her favorite toy is her xylophone, though she is also highly entertained by rattles and trucks, but watching sam turn on his silly makes her smile and laugh more than any toy can. she is still tasting everything, and typically has a plethora of chew toys (or a star wars action figure) at her disposal . 
she is definitely a fan of music and likes being sung to (particularly at diaper change times when she needs a bit of distraction). she's also very talkative and will babble loudly (often in church).
she is still eating everything she can wrap her little toothless mouth around, so figuring out what her favorite food is is basically impossible. so far she has tried: pears, peaches, apples, prunes, bananas, avocados, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, black beans, red beans, green beans, yogurt, lentils, cheerios and oatmeal. if only she could get beyond the spitting up. i'm still waiting hopefully for the end of that phase.
she likes being read to, and playing with her friend in the mirror. yesterday we read a book with little mirrors in it, and each time i turned the page, she leaned forward toward the mirror and put her mouth on it, and then sat back up. i think she was giving the cute baby kisses. it was adorable.
she still doesn't sleep through the night, but she does spend several hours a night in her own bed. our pre-bedtime snuggles is one of my favorite parts of the day, so i usually hold and feed her until she drops off to sleep and then put her down. i suppose i could sleep train her and let her cry, but i figure she's going to be too old for snuggles soon, and i'd much rather enjoy this time with her instead.
lucy is extremely curious and enjoys being part of the action. i think this is one of her main obstacles to sleeping, as she doesn't really want to miss anything. her best naps happen when she's riding around in the ergo, and i'm fine with that, since having her near makes me just about as happy as can be.